DELAND, Fla. — Volusia County is now the latest in Central Florida to approve an animal abuse registry.

The Volusia County council uanimously passed the countywide registry Tuesday. The registry is meant to make it easier for animal shelters, and those selling pets, to make sure a potential adopter or buyer does not have a history of abuse.

The animal abuse registry would include people who have been convicted of felony animal cruelty and misdemeanor animal cruelty, and would include the court documents. The database would be housed on the county website.

Four counties already have animal abuse registries, including Marion, Osceola, Hillsborough and Leon counties.

The registry was championed by Debbie Darino, an activist who also led the effort to get Ponce's Law passed by the state. That law, named after a puppy that was reportedly beaten to death in Volusia County, allows judges to ban people convicted of animal cruelty, from owning pets. It also increases the severity ranking for animal abuse cases.